[Editor: A poem, by “Lorenzo”, dedicated to an unnamed female immigrant from Britain. Published in the Sydney Gazette, and New South Wales Advertiser, 29 April 1824.]
To Miss * * * * * * on Her Arrival in New South Wales.
Welcome, sweet Maid! from Britain’s shore,
To Australasia’s milder plains:
Tho’ these acquire one beauty more,
That, still a galaxy retains!
There, Freedom pours her noon-tide beam,
Here, Slavery spreads her sombre wing;
Yet here, incipient Virtues teem;
Here, rival Worth, and Genius spring.
The Sons of Australasia’s Clime
Shall soon redeem their Country’s shame;
No more the penal “Land of Crime,”
But Nurse of Science, Truth, and Fame!
Nor, shall her Daughters shine less fair,
Less virtuous, than Britannia’s race;
Who here, such high examples share,
Of female excellence, and grace!
When gleam the sun-beams in the mines,
Their diamonds rival splendors throw;
So, while, ev’n here, a B******* shines,
Congenial virtues, kindling, glow!
But, beauteous rover of the seas!
I fear (since age those charms can feel),
You visit the “Antipodes,”
“To forge new fetters, and to steal!”
For, soon shall many a bosom there
Catch from those eyes emotions new;
And humbly sue your charms to wear,
And yield “it’s captive heart to you!”
Oh! then, the powerful magnet use
(Such use alone true bliss secures),
T’ attract their souls to noblest views,
And virtues that may merit your’s!
Lorenzo.
Sydney, June 24, 1823.
Source:
Sydney Gazette, and New South Wales Advertiser (Sydney, NSW), 29 April 1824, p. 3
Editor’s notes:
Antipodes = Australia and/or New Zealand (“antipodes” may also refer to two things which are direct opposites, such as opposing ideas or concepts, as well as including two places or areas which are on opposite sides of the world; hence the origin of its usage regarding Australasia)
fetter = a chain, manacle, or shackle placed around a prisoner’s ankle; something which confines or restrains; to put fetters upon; to confine, restrain, or restrict
Old spelling in the original text:
ev’n (even)
t’ (to)
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